The fake news about LGBT- free zones in Poland has been making the rounds far and wide for some time now and is being used to abase and defame conservative Poland. Neoliberal, globalist circles outside and within Poland have not let the “news” pass them by. Poland has been undeservedly chastised for it in the liberal media, in the European Union, and now, U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden has just joined the chorus of Poland’s critics over the non-existent LGBT-free zones. Biden tweeted on Monday, September 21: “Let me be clear: LGBTQ+ rights are human rights — and ‘LGBT-free zones’ have no place in the European Union or anywhere in the world,” referring to an ABC News report on LGBT- free zones in Poland.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her first State of the Union address, said that “LGBT-free zones,” […] “have no place in our Union.” She did not mention Poland by name but did not need to.
Even though some municipalities in Poland have passed resolutions declaring their opposition to the promotion of LGBT ideology in schools, in Poland there are no “LGBT-free zones”, where LGBT people are not welcome, cannot enter, or where their activities are criminalized.
How did the fake news about “LGBT-free zones” in Poland come about?
It turns out that the news about “LGBT-free zones” has been fabricated by the LGBT activist, Bart Staszewski. He has been caught illegally placing signs with the multilingual inscription “LGBT + free zone” below the legitimate signs with names of towns and municipalities. Next, photographs of the fake but official-looking signs have been posted on his social media and the websites he runs in English and Polish: lgbtfreezones. pl and spalneodlgbt.pl”
Now, one of the municipalities, Zakrzówek, in the Lublin voivodeship, is suing Mr. Staszewski for damages resulting from his actions. The mayor of Zakrzówek stated:
“We decided to take legal action against Mr. Staszewski because his description of our community as an “LGBT- free zone” is a lie suggesting that there is discrimination or segregation of people in our township based on some criteria. Nothing like this is taking place in Zakrzówek.”
“False and defamatory”
Maciej Świrski, the president of Reduta Dobrego Imienia, which supports the Zakrzówek township in its fight for its reputation and good name, stated that the existence of “LGBT-free zones” in Poland is a figment of Bart Staszewski’s imagination.
“As for Zakrzówek, but also other towns designated by this individual as LGBT free, this defamatory and mendacious information is harmful for the image and reputation of the community when it rapidly spreads as sensational news. There is also another important and often overlooked aspect of the case. Because Bart Staszewski mispresented the town as a place of discrimination, […] his action has been detrimental to vital economic interests of the town and its inhabitants,” said Świrski.
“This kind of information about Zakrzowek as a place of discrimination deters tourists and investors from the town and destroys the community’s reputation in the context of European Union allocation of funds. At the moment, there is an ongoing discussion in the European Union about linking the transfer of subsidies with specifically understood respect for “human rights.” False and defamatory information about Zakrzówek as an “LGBT- free zone” may make the town less likely to obtain funds for its investments,” added Świrski.
